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Cardinals vs. Rams scouting report, prediction

In the first game against the Rams this season, the Cardinals gained 420 yards and had 26 first downs, yet scored only 13 points in the loss. That’s hard to do and takes a little bit of everything going wrong.

Cardinals on offense

In the first game against the Rams this season, the Cardinals gained 420 yards and had 26 first downs, yet scored only 13 points in the loss. That’s hard to do and takes a little bit of everything going wrong. The Cardinals committed five turnovers and scored one touchdown out of three possessions inside the Rams’ 20-yard line. Much has changed since Week 4 at University of Phoenix Stadium. Chris Johnson, Jaron Brown, Evan Mathis, D.J. Humphries and Jared Veldheer played in that game for Arizona. None will be in the lineup on Sunday. Despite the injuries, the Cardinals' offense has been as good the past two weeks as it has been all season. That’s a bit of a back-handed compliment, but, still, did anyone envision the Cardinals scoring 75 points in the past two weeks with a lineup that included three backup offensive linemen? I did not. The patched-up offensive line has played better than expected. The Cardinals receivers have produced. The tight end has been incorporated into the passing game, and quarterback Carson Palmer has been sharp. The Cardinals face difficulties on Sunday because the Rams are still good on defense. Defensive tackle Aaron Donald matching up against rookie guard Evan Boehm is scary for the Cardinals. The Cardinals were able to run the ball in the first meeting (25 attempts, 118 yards) and they will rely heavily on David Johnson again. They will need to figure out a way to score in the red zone. In the first game, they settled for field goals after having a first down at the Rams' 13 and 4-yard lines on separate possessions.

Rams on offense

For the Cardinals, this game will be similar to last week’s against the Seahawks in this way: The team with the more destructive defensive front will win. The Cardinals dominated the Seahawks in the first half, with the help of five sacks. Dominating the Rams should not be hard to do. Their offense is horrible. Defensive tackle Calais Campbell and outside linebackers Markus Golden and Chandler Jones are difficult to handle, especially in obvious passing situations. Linebacker Sio Moore has been exceptional against the run since replacing Deone Bucannon in the starting lineup three weeks ago. It was a big deal in Week 4 when the Cardinals shut down running back Todd Gurley (19 attempts, 33 yards). But everyone else has done that this year, too. Rookie quarterback Jared Goff could use help from the running game, but he’s not getting it. The Rams would be smart to follow the Seahawks’ game plan in the second half last week. Go to shorter passes and try to isolate a receiver against youngsters in the secondary. The Seahawks had great success operating against rookie cornerback Brandon Williams. The Cardinals' best cornerback, Patrick Peterson, has had an excellent season, but he’s given up two important plays the past two weeks. He appears too anxious to make a big play and has been caught peeking at the quarterback instead of defending his man. That’s a no-no, especially in man coverage.

Special teams

The appropriately maligned Cardinals special teams played their best game of the year last week in Seattle, of all places. They blocked a punt, deflected a field goal, flipped field position with two excellent punts, and Chandler Catanzaro made the game-winning field goal. It will be difficult to replicate that against the Rams. Interim coach John Fassel is an excellent special teams coach. The Rams love trick plays on special teams, so the Cardinals need to be aware.

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